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Jan 10, 2004 - Jan 11, 2004   Columbia Blue  6
Terry Park - Ft. Myers, FL
James O'Donnell
OF RHP 6-1 185   R/R
FB
84
60
40
OF
IF
1B
C
Pop
Range
84
CB
73
SL
79
CH
Split
Knuckle
O’Donnell is a regular at PG/WWBA events and one of the more versatile and enthusiastic players we’ve ever come across. There’s no position and no role that O’Donnell hasn’t wanted to play and he’d probably play all day 52 weeks a year if you found a field and some equipment for him. He’d going to make college coaches at High Point very happy. One way that playing multiple positions might have hindered O’Donnell, though, is with his pitching. He has very good arm strength and has hit the high 80’s frequently in the past for us, although he just threw 82-85 mph in Fort Myers. O’Donnell’s fastball has very good life to it, too, and he throws both a curveball and a slider with sharp breaking action. If he ever rests his arm a bit and gets into a conditioning routine for pitching, he might be a 3-pitch guy with an average big league fastball. But "Bubba" would probably chafe at the idea of not being on the field at all times. He has committed to High Point.
PG Grade 8.5




Oct 24, 2003 - Oct 27, 2003   South Florida Bandits  35
Roger Dean Complex - Jupiter, FL
James O'Donnell
OF RHP 6-1 185   R/R
FB
87
60
40
OF
IF
1B
C
Pop
Range
84-87
CB
72
SL
CH
Split
Knuckle




Sep 20, 2003 - Sep 21, 2003   Gold  6
Perfect Game Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium - Cedar Rapids, IA
James O'Donnell
OF RHP 6-0 170   R/R
FB
85
60
7.18
40
OF
90
IF
88
1B
C
Pop
Range
85
CB
74
SL
77
CH
Split
Knuckle
O'Donnell is an OF/RHP from New Jersey. At 6'0/170 he is lean and athletic with lots of room to get bigger and stronger. He ran a 7.18 - 60 in CR but he has run better. He threw 90 mph from the outfield and 88 mph across the infield. We've seen O'Donnell many times and he always impresses. He shows bat speed and aggressive hitting ability. He does overswing at times though. On the mound he threw mid 80s with a 74 mph curve and a 77 mph slider. We have seen him better. He will end up throwing 90 + before long. James is an aggressive talented player/pitcher with a very bright future.
PG Grade 7.5




Aug 08, 2003 - Aug 10, 2003   Royal  2
University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, NC
James O'Donnell
OF RHP 6-0 170   R/R
FB
88
60
7.18
40
OF
89
IF
1B
C
Pop
Range
88
CB
SL
CH
Split
Knuckle
O’Donnell’s best tool is his throwing arm and we’d like to see what he’d throw off the mound if he was fully rested. At Chapel Hill he was 85-88 mph with a 75 mph slurve and a 77 mph change up. He has some effort in his delivery but also some deception and good sinking action. O’Donnell’s arm strength from the outfield is solid average and once in a while he’ll touch 88-89 on the outfield gun in workouts. O’Donnell’s swing is much like his pitching delivery. He generates good bat speed and gets out front in a hurry and pulls the ball hard, but sometimes is too far out front. Everytime we see him he's a bit better. There's still lots od projection left in this kid.
PG Grade 8.0




Jun 13, 2003 - Jun 15, 2003   Red  1
University of Nebraska - Lincoln, NE
James O'Donnell
OF RHP 6-0 170   R/R
FB
86
60
7.15
40
OF
88
IF
1B
C
79
Pop
2.00
Range
86
CB
74
SL
78
CH
80
Split
Knuckle
O'Donnell has been to many PG events. He always shows a real good live arm and some other tools that could end up MLB ave. Also he is eager to learn and truly loves to play. We've seen O'Donnell in the outfield where he has looked pretty good. We've seen him catch where he looks pretty good. And we've seen him pitch where he is real interesting. Nicknamed "Bubba" he throws anywhere from lower to high 80s. His breaking balls, slider and curve are both good pitches and he has a nice feel for the changeup. He is atletic and has room to add a good 20-25 lbs of usable strength. O'Donnell swings the bat creating bat speed. He might end up hitting for power down the road. He does everything well, but he's still a bit raw in his total development. He may develop into a big pro prospect in the right college program. The question still remains, will he play a position or pitch… or both?
PG Grade 7.5




Jan 11, 2003 - Jan 12, 2003     
Terry Park - Ft. Myers, FL
James O'Donnell
OF RHP 6-0 165   R/R
FB
82
60
7.41
40
OF
87
IF
1B
C
78
Pop
2.00
Range
82
CB
SL
CH
Split
Knuckle
O'Donnell is a lanky "04" who does a lot of good things on a baseball field. He is a very interesting projectable athlete who could end up being a very special player before he's done. He runs MLB average even though he only ran a 7.4 on the slow track in Ft Myers. His arm plays big from the outfield and behind the plate. He has MLB arm strength right now and it will get better yet. He hits well and battled some of the better pitchers in Ft Myers. He's going to get stronger and should turn in to a big time hitter. On the mound he threw low 80s and once again he will throw much harder. He showed a very promising 79 mph slider and a low 70s changeup. Most of all he likes to play and really enjoys the game. He's not quite there yet, but keep track of this young prospect. He has a lot of physical growing left and could end up being a top prospect in "04".
PG Grade 9.0




Jan 03, 2003 - Jan 05, 2003     
Terry Park - Ft. Myers, FL
James O'Donnell
OF RHP 6-0 160   R/R
FB
84
60
7.43
40
OF
IF
1B
C
79
Pop
2.13
Range
84
CB
SL
CH
Split
Knuckle
04 OF/C/P with a projectable body and a very good arm. Good instincts, he has a feel for the game. Excellent hitting ability and should end up hitting for power. Loves the game and plays hard. We like him as a catcher the most, but he could really develop on the mound. Mid 80s with late life and the slurve shows potential too. Good player/athlete who could become extra good. Keep an eye on him.
PG Grade 7.5




Nov 23, 2002 - Nov 24, 2002     
The SportZone - Indianapolis, IN
James O'Donnell
OF RHP 6-1 185   R/R
FB
83
60
7.24
40
OF
86
IF
1B
C
80
Pop
1.98
Range
CB
SL
CH
Split
Knuckle
O'Donnell was one of the top prospects at our Indianapolis Instruction camp. He is a Junior outfielder/catcher/pitcher who displayed a good package of tools at more than one position. He plays primarily in the outfield and showed a near average Major League arm there with 85 mph velocity and a nice looking arm action; long and fast. He can field well and received the ball close to his body outside his leg, transfers quickly and has a strong crow hop before he squares to his target, using his body well on his throw. He takes an aggressive approach to the ball and shows a good first step. He also showed some good potential at the catcher position. His strong arm and quick feet registered his best pop times of 1.93, 1.95 and 1.98 at an impressive 80 mph and if he shortened his arm action behind the plate he would likely improve on those times. At the plate, O'Donnell showed a good swing and some good looking line drive ability. He has good upper body strength and quick hands but when he used his lower half it was a nice looking addition of power. He has a balanced body throughout his swing, showed good bat speed and can thrive on the inside fastball but showed some loss of power initially on the outside pitch. After reviewing our video, we saw major improvements in his mechanics and approach with the outside pitch after working on it throughout the weekend. He is an athlete who ran a 7.24 on the laser and 7.15 on one of his hand-held trials and he showed the type of body control that would suggest he is a good base runner. As far as a competitor, there might not be a more energetic player with the type of make-up we saw from him. He even showed some pitchability on the mound with some life on an 83mph fastball and the makings of a good curve. We expect he will have a bright baseball future.