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East Coast Pro Top Performer List
8/2/2014
Top Prospect List -- East Coast Professional Showcase
Note: The following lists reflect heavily on each player’s performance in Syracuse while acknowledging it is impossible to completely ignore one’s history with a prospect.
Position Prospects
SS Brendan Rodgers (Longwood, FL): Rodgers shined in every aspect of the game, whether athletic, offensive, defensive or his aptitude for the game. It was a very impressive all-around performance that could vault him into the top overall spot in the 2015 draft class for many scouts.
OF Daz Cameron (McDonough, GA): Some are growing impatient with Cameron’s lack of loud at-bats but he’s doing everything else at a very high level. He’s the best baserunner in the 2015 class, his defense has been outstanding and he’s working counts with maturity. He just hasn’t squared up the ball very much. But that will come.
3B Cornelius Randolph (Williamson, GA): Randolph, on the other hand, pretty much squares up the ball every time he comes to the plate and does so with power and against plus stuff. He played some second base in Syracuse and looked good doing it, something for scouts to ponder.
OF Kep Brown (Mount Pleasant, SC): Brown keeps performing at a high level from event to event, something that is very notable due to the normal inconsistencies of power hitters and small sample sizes. His ability to get the barrel to the ball with his long levers versus quality stuff is very impressive.
SS John Aiello (Lansdale, PA): Aiello’s swing from both sides seems to change with a day of the week but he had a very productive event and look good on defense as well.
OF Desmond Lindsay (Bradenton, FL): Lindsey’s raw strength and power to center and right field is well known but he showed scouts a new part of his game with his play in centerfield. After all, there is no practical baseball reason to have a strong armed 6.5 runner at first base.
OF Eric Jenkins (Chadbourn, NC): Jenkins was an on-base machine all four games, which is a wonderful thing on a 6.3 runner. The Denard Span lookalike isn’t just a slap and run singles hitter, either, he can drive the gaps and did so in games.
OF Garrett Whitley (Niskayna, NY): Whitley and Nicholas Plummer (below) were the two new revelations of the event for scouts. While many probably prefer Plummer, I’ll cast my lot with the big and fast right handed power hitter, Whitley.
OF Nicholas Plummer (Lathrup Village, MI): Plummer’s hit tool and overall offensive approach was simply outstanding in all aspects. He’s a solid average runner but his throwing arm will likely limit him to left field.
OF Jahmai Jones (Roswell, GA): Jones played a solid all-around game and hit the ball hard consistently.
3B Travis Blankenhorn (Pottsville, PA): Blankenthorn was 8-10 at the plate at one point and one of his non-hits was a hard ground ball up the middle that ate up the shortstop for an error. Hitting looked really easy for him.
3B Bryce Denton (Brentwood, TN): Denton was another player whose bat speed and hitting ability really stood out, as he showed both power and barrel control.
SS Jonathan India (Coral Springs, FL): India plays the game fast and hard, sometimes too fast. When the game slows down a bit for him he’s going to get even better.
3B Ryan Mountcastle (Winter Springs, FL): Scouts are talking about Mountcastle’s future position with uncertainty but his real position is “Hitter.” That seems to be a reoccurring theme in the 2015 class.
OF Daniel Reyes (Miami Springs, FL): Reyes may be the best batting practice hitter in the 2015 class with prodigious easy power all over the field. He struggled this week to take that into games, consistently expanding the strike zone and getting himself out.
OF Ryan McKenna (Berwick, ME): When was the last time there was a legit top prospect from the state of Maine? McKenna is very legit; he can really hit and is a plus game runner.
C Nick Fortes (DeLand, FL): Showcases are not the best forum for Fortes’ skills but he manages to stand out regardless.
SS Jalen Miller (Atlanta, GA): Watching Miller player defense is a joy from a scouting perspective. Watch out when he starts getting a bit stronger.
SS Xavier LeGrant (Charlotte, NC): LeGrant might be the top performer of the summer circuit in terms of how he hits in games and how he plays defense both at second base and shortstop.
OF-1B Brandt Stallings (Buford, GA): Stallings momentous walk off grand slam on Friday would be enough to put him on this list.
OF Luke Miller (Muncie, IN): Before it becomes redundant to mention the hitters in the 2015 class again, Miller’s name needs to be included. The 6-foot-3, 175 pound outfielder is going to keep getting better as he gets stronger, too.
C Chris Cullen (Cumming, GA): Cullen reminds many of South Carolina (where Cullen is also committed) catcher Grayson Greiner, only the 6-foot-5 Cullen is more athletic at the same age.
SS Grant Cox (Simpsonville, SC): Cox’s right handed swing is about as short and crisp as one can make a swing, which resulted in very consistent hard contact. He’s a good athlete with long-term middle infield actions.
C Domenic DeRenzo (Pittsburgh, PA): DeRenzo stood out for his plus/plus raw arm strength and his ability to use it defensively but he also had plenty of quality at bats and showed power to both gaps.
Pitchers
RHP Ashe Russell (Indianapolis, IN): Russell was clearly the best pitching prospect at the ECP with nasty stuff that he pounded the strike zone with. Trackman had him up to 96 mph in the strike zone and there were reportedly some 98’s from scouts behind the plate.
RHP Chandler Day (Granville, OH): Once you get over Day’s extremely slender 6-foot-4, 160 pound build that isn’t especially projectable, the most important thing to know about him is that his 90-93 mph fastball is his third best pitch. His 78 mph curveball was the best breaking ball in Syracuse and his 81 mph change up not far behind.
RHP Jason Bilous (Wilmington, DE): Bilous was one of the surprise prospects of the event with a simply beautiful arm action that produced 91-94 mph fastballs from the stretch, the windup and up to the last pitch of his three inning stint. He’s a lock to keep getting better
RHP Donny Everett (Clarksville, TN): Everett was dominant his first two innings, with a 93-96 mph fastball and surprising feel for his off-speed pitches.
RHP Tristin English (Williamson, GA): English is both young in appearance and young in experience on the mound, which makes the two-way prospect even more intriguing. One scout dropped a light Buster Posey comp on him due to his body, look and diverse pitcher/catcher tools.
RHP Triston McKenzie (Loxahatchee, FL): McKenzie didn’t light up the radar gun, pitching at 88-90 mph, but he had as smooth a three-inning outing as any pitcher in Syracuse due to his command and three-pitch mix. As opposed to Day’s build, the 6-foot-5, 160 pound McKenzie is eminently projectable physically.
RHP Cody Morris (Laurel, MD): Morris will need to continue to improve his secondary pitches but he dominates with the command and life on his 90-94 mph fastball.
RHP Mike Nikorak (Stroudsburg, PA): Nikorak didn’t show the consistent plus stuff he did in Fort Myers at the PG National but was solid with an 89-92 mph fastball and a mid-70’s curveball.
LHP Hogan Harris (Lafayette, LA): Harris’ deceptive delivery makes his 88-92/T93 fastball play up in velocity and makes him very hard to hit when he’s painting both corners, as he did here.
RHP Nicholas Lee (Longville, LA): Lee’s delivery isn’t fun to watch, with arms and legs everywhere and lots of effort on release, but it’s hard to argue with 92-95 mph when its being consistently thrown for strikes. It certainly doesn’t look fun to hit against.
RHP Nick Neidert (Lawrenceville, GA): Neidert is comparable to fellow Georgia native Tristan English in many ways, both as a recently converted position talent (shortstop) and for his raw stuff.
RHP Riley Thompson (Louisville, KY): Thompson comes by his 90-93 mph velocity very easily and could settle in as a consistent mid-90’s thrower. Like Cody Morris above, improving his secondary pitches will be the key.
2016 Prospects
LHP Jeff Belge (Syracuse, NY): The hometown southpaw was impressive, with an 89-92 mph fastball from a low effort delivery
OF Seth Beer (Suwanee, GA): Beer’s tool is his left handed bat and he hit the ball very hard a couple of times in Syracuse.
LHP Cole Ragans (Tallahassee, FL): Ragans showed some signs of fatigue in his outing compared to earlier this summer but was still very good.
C Brad Debo (Durham, NC): Debo has a nice combination of strength and quickness, especially in his throwing release, and has the advantage of being left handed hitting catcher with power.
LHP Jonathan Gettys (Gainesville, GA): Gettys threw 90-92 mph with a very quick and easy arm action but has lots of work to do with his curveball.
East Coast Pro Day 3 Highlights
8/1/2014
Phillies vs. Indians
The starting pitching matchup for this game got the day off to a good start, as hometown 2016 lefty Jeff Belge (Syracuse, NY) opened up for the Phillies and RHP Cody Morris (Laurel, MD) started for the Indians.
Belge was “discovered” this spring when he matched up against top 2014 prospect RHP Scott Blewett in a heavily scouted high school game in the Syracuse area this spring. Scouts will notice a 6-5 left hander who throws in the low 90’s even if he isn’t draft eligible for two more years, which is exactly what happened that day. Belge threw consistently Friday with how he threw back in the spring, using primarily his fastball to throw three hitless innings with 5 strikeouts. Belge has a loose, fast arm and is very clean out front on his release, with his fastball consistently in the 89-92 mph range.
Morris has had a strong summer pitching for the EvoShield Canes and continued in the same form here in Syracuse. He, too, threw three shutout innings, working at 90-93 with good command and sink and featuring a nice upper 70’s change up that picked up a few outs for him.
Morris combined with LHP Logan Allen (Fletcher, NC) and RHP John Creel (Huntersville, NC) on a nine inning four-hit shutout.
Indians OF Eric Jenkins (Chadbourn, NC) was the scout’s main focal point among the position players. Jenkins has a young Denard Span body and tool set, including 6.32 speed in the sixty. The speed was on display when Jenkins put down a bunt (squared, not dragged) and ran 3.63 from the left side. Jenkins left handed bat showed his extra base power with a sharp double to right field (4.33 turn) as well. The centerfielder was even involved in the most bizarre play of the game when he ranged far back to almost almost snag a deep blast off the bat of the Phillies Ryan McKenna, only to drop it on the warning track. The confusion occurred when the runner on first started retreating back to the bag from second after he though Jenkins made the catch, only to watch his teammate McKenna go flying past with his sights set on third base.
While there have been a couple of hitters thus far who have been a bit louder than the Phillies SS Travis Blankenhorn (Pottsville, PA) but none who have been as consistently productive as the Pennsylvania native. Through three games Blankenhorn is 8-10 at the plate and reached base on an infield error on a hard ground ball in another at bat. There haven’t been any big home runs or fence rattling doubles among his hits but there have been plenty of clean line drives.
The Indians Xavier LeGrant (Charlotte, NC) made the defensive play of the game, as I’ve observed on a couple of occasions this summer. LeGrant has played lots of second base this summer and played it very well but showed his chops at shortstop, ranging far up the middle to get a ground ball and making a spinning, accurate throw to first base to complete the play.
OF Oluwa “Demi” Orimoloye (Orleans, ON) not only has one of the more difficult names to pronounce at any field, he is one of the more difficult to scout, even after seeing him at least a half dozen times over the past two years. Orimoloye is an extremely good athlete, with a big well-proportioned 6-foot-4, 225 pound build and eye opening 6.50 speed in the sixty. To be polite, his right handed swing is difficult to watch in batting practice. But when the games start, the young Canadian makes consistent hard contact to the opposite field and can drive the right centerfield gap. It’s an unusual approach and swing that doesn’t work in batting practice and has a narrow application in games but Orimoloye executes it very well and very consistently.
Cubs vs. Mets
The Cubs have collected some of the most interesting position prospects in the game and that….OK, this isn’t the real Cubs farm system, which would likely be the runaway #1 collection of professional prospect talent in the game right now. But the Cubs here in Syracuse also have a very interesting group of position prospects that dominated today’s game with the Mets.
The big story was the continued showcasing of OF Nicholas Plummer (Lathrup Village, MI) big hitting tools. As previous blogs have noted, Plummer has a quick and short swing with both present bat speed and a very disciplined overall approach. Scouts got to see his power potential today when he turned on a ball and launched a blast to right centerfield that had every bit the distance of Brandt Stallings moonshot yesterday. Plummer is creating huge buzz in the stands but is a difficult player to profile with his size (listed 5-11/195), physical maturity, speed (solid average but not plus) and arm strength (35/40 on the MLB scale). The best comp I’ve heard is the Cardinals John Jay, although I’ve heard a few more optimistic comps mentioned as well.
Plummer’s home run wasn’t the only ball that left the yard this game. His teammate, OF Luke Miller (Muncie, IN) took a 91 mph fastball on the outside corner from PG All-American LHP Hogan Harris (Lafayette, LA) and drove it over the short right field fence. Miller has consistently squared the ball up hard this week, especially to the right side of the field, and is a very projectable young hitter.
Harris struck out six hitters in otherwise perfect innings, pitching in the 88-92/T93 range and showing very precise command of his fastball to both sides of the plate. His 73 mph curveball lacks ideal power but hitters don’t seem to see it well from the Louisiana lefty’s deceptive delivery. It was a nice mature outing for Harris and he was the only Mets pitcher who held the Cubs hitters in check.
3B Bryce “Shoes” Denton (dubbed “Shoes” for his extremely bright, multi-colored cleats that would look perfectly at home on a Brazilian soccer pitch) continues to impress everyone with his consistent quality at bats and overall hitting ability. The Tennessee native only went 1-4 yesterday but just missed on two aggressive swings that were perfectly timed, including a long high fly that was caught on the left field warning track.
I’ve mentioned catcher Domenic DeRenzo (Pittsburgh, PA) and his big arm behind the plate. He’s put together a very nice event at the plate as well and was 2-3 this game with a booming triple up the LCF alley that highlighted his 6.75 speed.
SS John Dawson (Hurricane, WV) had a home run in yesterday’s game and shined on the other side of the ball today as the unofficial “Defensive Player of the Game.” Dawson made several athletic plays both up the middle and coming in on the ball and flew across the bag once to complete a nice double play.
One player on the Mets that has created plenty of discussion is Mets outfielder Von Watson (Potts Camp, TN). Watson has a strong and loose 6-foot-2, 200 pound build and plenty of strength and quick twitch muscles. He has a very unconventional swing approach with a big drift into contact and a slashing downward swing that puts lots of backspin on the ball. Watson has made consistent very hard contact and the ball really comes off his barrel well.
Rays vs. Braves
The Rays (Florida based prospects) and Braves (Georgia) game is traditionally the prime match up of most East Coast Pro events. This year’s game had 18 PG All-Americans rostered, plus a couple of underclassmen that will strong considerations for next year’s team.
The first inning played like an old fashioned pinball game despite two quality pitchers on the mound in the Rays RHP Austin Smith (North Boynton Beach, FL) and the Braves RHP Jonathan Hughes (Flowery Branch, GA). Each team knocked out four hits in the initial frame despite seeing a steady diet of low 90’s fastballs from both pitchers and the Rays emerged with a 3-2 lead.
One hit of the eight definitely stood out. SS Brendan Rodgers (Longwood, FL), who entered the game 5-6 for the showcase, took a Hughes fastball high and deep over the left field fence to put a punctuation mark on overall performance. Rodgers remaining three at bats didn’t produce any box score highlights but were almost as impressive. In his second at bat he patiently watched three (predictable) off speed pitches off the plate before jumping on a 3-0 fastball and hitting a laser straight at the centerfielder. His third trip was a line drive at the left fielder that just got a little towards the end of the bat. Rodgers final trip produced a skyscraper fly ball to centerfield that again was just the grain width on the bat barrel from being squared up.
Actually, Rodgers most impressive play may not have come with a bat in his hands. Braves speedster IF Alonzo Jones (aka “The fastest player in the 2015 class”), hitting left handed, squibbed a slow roller towards shortstop and did his thing with a 4.07 home to first time. Rodgers broke instantly, charged hard, fielded and threw a strike to first in one smooth motion and got Jones by a full step. It was a high level Major League play done with perfect fundamentals and a precise internal baseball clock, not to mention elite level athletic ability.
I heard what I consider an outstanding comparison to the player who might have the best “Hit” tool in the 2015 class. Braves 3B Cornelius Randolph (Williamson, GA) had two more hits in the game, one an opposite field double, the other a sharp line drive up the middle. A scout threw out the name Terry Pendleton on Randolph, which fits his build and physical tools to a “T”.
The game calmed down considerably after the first inning, at least on the part of the Rays pitchers, and the Braves cruised to an easy 7-2 victory in the nine inning game.
The one pitcher the rest of the way who stood out and who doesn’t really get the national recognition that he probably deserves is RHP Nick Neidert (Lawrenceville, GA). Neidert was a primary shortstop until the last year and his athleticism really shows on the mound. He pitched in the 89-92 mph range while attacking hitters aggressively and mixing in an upper 70’s slider. Neidert used his middle infield background and athleticism to start a very nifty 1-6-3 double play that few pitchers could even attempt, let alone execute perfectly.
East Coast Pro Day 2 Highlights
7/31/2014
More rain impacted the Syracuse area Thursday morning, pushing the 7:30 am scheduled start back closer to 10:45 am and forcing some adjustments with scheduling on-field batting practice and showcase style defensive drills.
First, here are the top 60 times from Wednesday (All times hand held)
Alonzo Jones: 6.25
Eric Jenkins: 6.32
Isaiah White: 6.37
Danny Blair: 6.45
Ryan Karstetter: 6.47
Lucius Fox: 6.49
Darryl Wilson: 6.50
Oluwa Orimoloye: 6.50
Xavier LeGrant: 6.53
Desmond Lindsay: 6.56
Reggie Pruitt: 6.63
Calvin Newsome: 6.63
Garrett Whitley: 6.65
Daz Cameron: 6.67
Jahmai Jones: 6.75
Dominic DeRenzo: 6.75
Steven Mangrum: 6.75
Cameron Simmons: 6.75
Chris Chatfield: 6.75 Grant Cox: 6.76
Jonathan India: 6.76
Bryce Denton: 6.78
Jackson Lueck: 6.79
Ryan McKenna: 6.79
Rays vs. Indians
The Florida based Rays team didn’t play well on Wednesday and it was a true team effort. The opposite was true Thursday as they slammed out 12 hits and received outstanding pitching in an easy victory over the Indians.
LHP Michael Zimmerman (Naples, FL) started things off with three easy innings for the Rays. Zimmerman is a very projectable 6-foot-3, 180 southpaw who has four present quality pitches he throws for strikes in an 88 mph fastball, a 72 mph curveball, a 79 mph slider and a 80 mph change up. His curveball is his out pitch right now but can paint with all his offerings and is going to throw harder.
RHP’s Jacob Woodford (Tampa, FL) and Michael Rivera (Truijillo Alto, PR) each threw two efficient innings for the Rays to close the 7-inning game out.
SS Brendan Rodgers (Longwood, FL), the #2 ranked prospect in the 2015 class per the PG class rankings, continued his hot hitting with a 3-hit performance and is now 5-6 in the Rays two games. Rodgers highlight swing was booming ground rule double to left centerfield.
OF Kyle Tucker (Tampa, FL) took much more aggressive swings this game and was rewarded with a couple of hits, including one to right field that was probably 100+ mph off the bat just from the sound of it. His best swing might have been on a foul ball he just missed squaring up that registered 6.67 in the air before landing near the bullpen mound.
The Indians, who were rained out Wednesday night, played back to back games Thursday. They have a number of interesting players who I’ll cover in a combined fashion in the next game segment below.
Indians vs. Cubs
The Indians, who draw their roster from the Carolinas and Virginia, have a number of very interesting athletes, including two of the three fastest prospects in Syracuse in outfielders Eric Jenkins (Chadbourn, NC) and Isiah “Zeke” White (Wilson, NC).
Even though the two can fly, with 6.32 and 6.37 sixty times respectively, the most intriguing part of watching them play and go through a workout was that both swing pretty potent bats and are not just speed-only prospects.
Jenkins is a left handed hitter with a short and quick swing that pops some mid field to pull side power. He drove a low 90’s fastball from RHP Donny Everett over the centerfielder’s head that had triple or inside the park home run written all over it (4.29 on the turn) except there was a runner on first base who held up to see if the ball was caught, with Jenkins right on his back cleat.
White has about 15 pounds on Jenkins and is a right handed hitter with more strength. He tends to open his front side very early on his swing but keeps his hands back well and showed the ability to drive the ball to both right centerfield and the pull side.
C Cal Raleigh (Cullowhee, NC) is a strong bodied 6-foot-3, 190 pound switch hitting catcher who has been creating lots of chatter recently in the scouting community. He was a quick and flexible blocker behind the plate with strong hands for framing pitches. His arm graded out as a 55/60 on the MLB scale, although he tended to stand up to throw with a long arm stroke that kept his pop times in the upper 1.9’s. His left handed swing has significantly better bat speed than he has from the right side with more extension and bat control as well.
The other catcher on the Indians team also drew plenty of attention even though he is one of the few 2016’s at the ECP. Bradley Debo (Durham, NC) showed exceptional quickness in his release throwing and was in the 1.80 – 1.85 range in drills and had two game throws at 1.95 and 1.97 on my watch. He put on a power show in batting practice but has a late pull back load in games that leaves him late to velocity and some stiffness in his left handed swing that will have to be worked on. But the offensive potential is there to go with the present defensive tools.
PG All-American OF Kep Brown (Mount Pleasant, NC) was the team’s standout in their first game, hitting a ringing double off Zimmerman up the right centerfield gap and taking a smooth and easy batting practice that included a centerfield bomb. Brown has a long, extended swing but stands well away from the plate and has excellent barrel timing in making contact with different pitches, a rare trait in a 6-foot-5 long levered hitter.
SS Grant Cox (Simpsonville, SC) is a player who I hadn’t seen before but who I thought was very impressive on both sides of the ball. He has one of the shortest right handed swings you’ll ever see but it isn’t contact only, he doubled one bounce off the left field fence and had a deep F8 as his better efforts for the day. He is quick and polished at shortstop defensively, including starting one slick double play with 2B Cobie Vance (Fayetteville, NC).
The Cubs threw two top prospect right handers in PG All-American Donnie Everett (Clarksville, TN) and slender Ohio native Chandler Day (Granville, OH).
Everett overmatched the Indians hitters for the first two innings, pitching in the 93-95/T96 mph area and showing good feel for a 76 mph curveball and a nice 80 mph change up. He tired a bit in the third inning and elevated his fastball and stopped mixing and lasted 3 1/3 innings before handing the ball over to Day.
Day was in complete control for the next 3 2/3 innings and looked like he could have gone seven or more innings just by himself. He throws from an extended high ¾’s arm slot that creates outstanding angle on his 88-92 mph fastball. That fastball is arguably his third best pitch, with his big and powerful 78 mph curveball being a legit strikeout pitch and his 80 mph change up being a potential plus pitch as well.
The Cubs, like the Indians, played two games today and their position player highlights will be covered in the next game blog.
Cubs vs. Braves
The game started off with everyone’s rapt attention as RHP Ashe Russell faced the top of the star-studded Braves line up. The first inning went, in sequence: Alonzo Jones (K on 3 unhittable pitches; good morning, good evening, good night!), Cornelius Randolph (single to centerfield), Daz Cameron (5-3 ground out with a 4.31 home to first), Jahmai Jones (K). Russell was steady at 93-95/T96 mph with a nasty 77-79 mph curveball that was a present plus pitch on occasion. He was just as dominant in the second inning as well and finished the first two frames with only 21 pitches before being jinxed by this writer/scout and walking the leadoff hitter in the third on four pitches. I was told after the game that some guns behind the screen had him as high as 98 mph.
Of course, part of the fun of the sequence was that it involved five PG All-Americans who will be teammates in San Diego next week.
Randolph, by the way, is now 2-2 so far when making contact with 93 mph fastballs, having homered on such a pitch on Wednesday against RHP Nick Lee. The young left handed hitter can just flat rake.
We’ll skip to the end of the game before picking up individual players. The games here are very competitive and I’ve heard rumors of some small wagers (non-monetary) between the friendly rival scouts who run each team (who could have imagined!). The scoreboard is definitely in play.
The Cubs led the game 4-2 entering the bottom of the 7th, courtesy of a sixth inning home run by SS Trey Dawson (Hurricane, WV). The Braves loaded the bases on a wild pitch third strike, an ill-advised fielder’s choice and a walk. PG All-American OF-1B Brandt Stallings (Buford, GA) had a full count against hard throwing RHP Riley Thompson (Louisville, KY) and got every single bit of a 90 mph fastball over the plate for a titanic walk off Grand Slam. Stallings home run went over the left field fence, over the second fence beyond that, over some stored batting turtles on the other side of the second fence and bounced high off a distant parking lot. It was pretty impressive in any context.
The Cubs had three hitters who really stood out for their ability with the bats over the two games.
CF Nicholas Plummer (Lathrup Village, MI) has a strong 5-foot-11, 190 pound build and an outstanding overall approach at the plate from the left side. He sees the ball very well and most of his game and BP swings were mid-field line drive oriented with hard consistent contact. His patience at the plate resulted in numerous walks, which didn’t always work out well for him because he twice grounded into double plays on hard ground balls up the middle with his own courtesy runner on first base. But for the last round of batting practice and for one hanging curveball Plummer unleased his power swing and it was impressive, with some long home runs and a booming game triple to right centerfield. Plummer ran 4.15 home to first on one double play and 4.37 on his turn and showed his range and athleticism well in centerfield.
3B Bryce Denton (Brentwood, TN) showed a versatile and talented bat with a couple of different approaches. He went home run hunting plenty in batting practice and overpowered the ball with very good bat speed. Denton then shortened up in the game and picked up 3-4 line drive hits with a much more controlled approach that still had plenty of bat speed. His single up the middle off a 91 mph fastball from 2016 lefty Jonathan Gettys (Gainesville, GA) was the second hardest hit ball of the game after Stallings moonshot.
OF Luke Miller (Muncie, IN) is more of a projectable talent with a young 6-foot-3, 175 pound build. He explodes his hands at the ball very well from the right side with a loose whippy swing and has an advanced feel for the barrel and hitting the ball hard to all fields. Keep an eye on that name.
Another prospect on the Cubs got plenty of scout buzz for a different reason. C Dominic DeRenzo (Pittsburgh, PA) is a very athletic receiver (6.75 in the sixty) with an absolute cannon behind the plate. I asked one veteran scout if he was going to break out a 70 for his raw arm strength (older scouts rarely break into the plus/plus category for 17 year old players) and he answered “I gave him a 60 arm only because I don’t give 70’s at this type of event.”
The Cubs actually had three top level defensive catchers with Alex Webb (Columbia, TN) and Jacob Barnwell (Catlettsburg, KY) on the roster as well.
Phillies vs. Mets
There are two players in Syracuse who are definitely rising to the top of my own personal “Favorite New Players” list and both starred in Thursday evening’s nightcap game, which started at about 8:45 pm.
By “Favorite New Player”, I mean a prospect who I have never seen before. At this point in the evolution of a draft class, those players are becoming fewer and farther between, so it is especially exciting to find them and break them down.
One of them was mentioned prominently in yesterday’s blog, Niskayuna (NY) High School outfielder Garrett Whitley. Whitley’s offensive talents were on display again last night, as I suspect they will be just about every game he plays. His first time up he lined a 90 mph fastball from RHP Demarcus Evans (Petal, MS) hard up the right centerfield alley for an easy double. The big 6-foot-4, 245 pound Evans threw very well for three shutout innings, pitching in the 89-91 mph range with a mid-70’s slurve type breaking ball.
Whitley’s third at bat produced a booming triple off a changeup that easily cleared the centerfielder’s head and had inside the park home run written on it with Whitley’s 6.65 speed if he hadn’t tripped and fallen (Sniper!) after rounding second base. He still reached third standing.
The second player is RHP Jason Bilous from Wilmington, Delaware. Bilous is a very slender 6-foot-2, 170 pound young man who looks like he might be 15 years old physically. But his arm works as well as any pitcher I’ve seen in a long time; it’s the kind of arm action that is so easy and well sync’d with his lower half that it makes one wonder why all pitchers can’t throw that easily and with that leverage. It was a thing of beauty for this old scout to behold.
Bilous’ fastball was in the 91-94 mph range for the three innings, with no dip from the stretch or even in the third inning. He flashed a good change up and an occasional low 80’s slider but pretty much just pounded the zone with his fastball and overpowered hitters. This is a special arm even without my having a good feel for his secondary stuff.
The rest of the game took somewhat of a back seat to those two due to being at the park for 15 hours and for watching the Phillies pound out at least a dozen hits in an easy win.
OF Jean-Francois Garon (Terrebonne, QU)was another “New” player very worth mentioning. It is rare to find a French-Canadian position player from Quebec of considerable talent but the 6-foot-3, 190 pound Garon definitely qualifies. He has lots of strength in his right handed bat and hit the ball very hard this game with a couple of hits to show for it. He also made the defensive play of the game with a diving catch in left field, while showing a big throwing arm in drills as well.
A much more familiar name, PG All-American shortstop John Aiello (Lansdale, PA) had a chance to swing the bat from his stronger right side a couple of times and lined a pair of very hard hit singles.
East Coast Pro Day 1 Highlights
7/30/2014
The 18th edition of the East Coast Professional Baseball Showcase started its four-day run Wednesday, July 30 in Syracuse, New York. It’s the first step of a 12-day gauntlet that will take national level scouts and many players from Syracuse across the country to Long Beach for the Area Code Games and eventually to Petco Park in San Diego August 10th for the Perfect Game All-American Classic.
The East Coast Pro is organized and run completely by professional scouts under the direction San Francisco Giants crosschecker John Castleberry. There are six teams of players from different regions of the eastern half of the country: Braves, Cubs, Indians, Mets, Phillies and Rays. Each team plays one game per day along with batting practice and infield drills.
The vast majority of the players in attendance are 2015’s, with a smattering of top 2016’s. There are 24 Perfect Game All-Americans represented, with a 25th on the roster and not playing, as LHP Juan Hillman recently sprained an ankle.
(Note: All pitching velocities quoted are generated by the Trackman system that is installed at the park and displayed on the scoreboard)
Braves vs. Mets Highlights
SS Cornelius Randolph (Williamson, GA) provided the game highlight with a two-run home run over the short porch in right field off a 93 mph RHP Nick Lee fastball. Virtually all of Randolph’s contact in BP and in other at bats had been to left centerfield but Lee threw him two straight fastballs on the inside corner and Randolph showed his ability to adjust and turned on it quickly.
The 6-foot-5 Lee (Longville, LA) is just breaking into the national rankings. He pitched at the WWBA 18U recently and was up to 93 mph. He worked at 90-94 here with a very nice change up but a very rare curveball. He has lots of effort to his delivery but big arm strength as well.
RHP/C Tristin English (Williamson, GA) threw three innings for the Braves, pitching in the 90-93 mph range with his fastball and showing good command and power to his breaking ball. He has a very young look and a very fast arm coming through.
OF/1B Brandt Stallings (Buford, GA) was quiet in the game (rare for this summer) but took an outstanding batting practice, showing big power to all fields. There aren’t many players in the country with better raw bat speed.
Stallings, English and Randolph are all PG All-Americans.
SS O’Neal Lochridge (Lafayette, LA) had a very nice day, showing big pull power in batting practice and taking a smooth and athletic round during infield drills. He capped it off with a 395’ booming double to straight away centerfield.
Top defensive plays were turned in by SS Dylon Poncho (Elton, LA) on a play in the hole, OF Von Watson (Potts Camp, TN) on diving catch in left field on the game’s first pitch and C Chris Cullen (Cummings, GA) with a 1.88 tag throw to nail a runner stealing. Watson also had a pair of singles in the game.
SS Jalen Miller (Atlanta, GA) is fun to watch play defense, even in drills. He has extremely smooth and athletic actions and is always moving through the ball. His normal throwing stroke is lower than most shortstops but it quickens his release, especially on the move, and his throws are strong and on the money.
Phillies vs. Rays Highlights
The Phillies team represents the Northeast and all I can say is that there is going to be a well above average number of high prospect position talent from that area of the country next spring.
SS John Aiello (Landsdale, PA) and 3B Travis Blankenhorn (Pottsville, PA) are both well-known prospects , with Aiello being a PG All-American and Blankenhorn an easy top 100 player in the country. Both had their moments today, with Aiello getting robbed of a home run on a leaping, over the fence catch by fellow All-American OF Daniel Reyes (Miami Springs, FL) (there may be some good natured ribbing about that in San Diego) and Blankenhorn picking up a pair of RBI doubles.
But the other three top players today from the Phillies are considerably less well known, and in one case, pretty much not known at all.
3B Andrew Noviello (Raynham, MA) is a strong armed two-way player with a 90 mph fastball but it’s his left handed bat that stands out. He makes very good contact from a smooth swing with lots of raw power. He has a verbal commitment to Maine, which is very interesting on the face of it.
Maine comes up again for the next player, as CF/SS Ryan McKenna is a native of Berwick, Maine. McKenna has a very quick right handed bat with line drive strength and lots of power to go with it. He’s also a plus runner (4.11 and 4.17 home to first) and athletic enough to play both middle infield and centerfield.
But maybe the biggest surprise of the day was an outfielder from Niskayuna in Upstate New York named Garrett Whitley. The 6-foot-2, 195 pound Whitley has huge elite level bat speed with big power that was highlighted by one BP blast off the batter’s eye in straight away centerfield. He looks like a quality athlete who is an average MLB runner with solid outfield actions. Interestingly, he is also an elite level student with a 33 ACT and a ride to Wake Forest.
The big name pitcher of the game was RHP Mike Nikorak (Stroudsburg, PA), who threw three quick and efficient innings for the Phillies. Nikorak didn’t have the big velocity he showed at the PG National but was 89-92 on his fastball with big downhill angle and worked the bottom of the zone to both sides of the plate.
The Rays roster is a star-studded group that includes 12 PG All-Americans but today wasn’t their day, as happens occasionally in baseball, as command issues for the pitchers and some ill-timed infield errors enabled the Phillies to win handily.
Along with Reyes defensive play, the highlights of the day were the offensive performances of the two Rays shortstops, Brendan Rodgers (Longwood, FL) and Lucius Fox (Lake Worth, FL), each of whom had a single and a double on the day. Rodgers raw bat speed simply overpowers the ball even when he doesn’t square it up solidly, while the slender Fox has very quick hands and a crisp line drive swing that really projects.
Reyes provided the batting practice highlight for the Rays as well, hitting 7-8 balls out during the pro style batting practice session, including four straight at one point. His power was almost casual in how easily he got distance, lift and back spin consistently on contact.
The final game of the day between the Cubs and the Indians was postponed after a steady 3 hour rain soaked the Syracuse area. The forecast is for more cold and wet conditions tomorrow but we will hope for the best.