High School News and Notes

Lindor’s Day

After an infield/outfield session where Lindor showcased his exceptional defensive abilities, including polished footwook, fluid actions, and plus throwing arm, he lead off the game against the 6’6, 200 lb Weickel with a strikeout. After working the count to 2-2, Lindor expanded the zone and swung at an elevated 92 mph fastball. In his final two ABs, Lindor was able to work a walk as well as record a single through the right side of the infield. As chronicled by many, Lindor is a tightly wound athlete whose tools play across the board. Lindor is noticeably stronger than he was in the fall where he starred for the FTB Mizuno/Cardinals Scout team in Jupiter. He did nothing in this look to hurt his lofty draft expectations and looked every part of a first round talent. Something that is often overlooked is Lindor’s passion for the game. Lindor is a leader, both vocally and by example. Olympia routed Montverde 14-2, however one would never be able to tell by Lindor’s demeanor that his team had such a tough time on the field. Lindor is a winner in all aspects and will only get better as time goes on.

 Weickel’s Outing

Walker Weickel is what scouts often dream of in a pitching prospect. He oozes projection at 6’6, 200 lbs and his athleticism is off the charts. (Weickel has been recorded as low as 6.47 in the 60) In this look, Weickel ran his fastball in the 88-92 range touching 93. His fastball was heavy with arm side run and he was able to dominate the overmatched Montverde hitters with it. Weickel’s offspeed offerings are still a work in progress, but show promise. It looked like Weickel threw a few cut fastballs with late life that may end becoming an out pitch down the line. In the past, he has shown good feel for his changeup and a developing breaking ball. Weickel is extremely competitive and this showed during his outing today. Weickel’s body and fastball alone place him at the top of the 2012 high school pitching crop, and it will be interesting to follow the development of his offspeed pitches over the next 15 months leading up to the 2012 Draft. Weickel ended up with 6 strikeouts over 4 innings, earning the win for Olympia.

 Jesse Winker

 Olympia HS 2012 Outfielder Jesse Winker has established himself as one of the premier lefthanded bats in the 2012 High School crop at an early stage, and this look gave an opportunity for Winker to showcase his patience at the plate. Hitting out of the 3rd spot in the Olympia lineup, Winker was 0-1 with three BBs. I have had the opportunity to see Olympia play 4 or 5 times this season, and the book is out on Winker. To say that he is being pitched around would be an understatement. Winker is strongly built at 6’3, 200 lbs and looks like he has added substantial strength in his core and bottom half since the fall. He is a “professional” hitter, who hits from a high hand start and creates exceptional bat speed and torque in his left handed swing. Winker will have a busy summer ahead where he will be able to showcase his abilities, but getting good looks at him during a high school game will be far and few between.

As an added bonus, Winker got on the mound for Olympia in the 5th inning and topped out at 90 mph from the left-side.

 Connor Lien

Olympia HS 2012 Outfielder Connor Lien was the star of the game for Olympia. Lien is an extremely well proportioned 6’3, 205 lb outfielder who showcased power and speed at the plate. Leading off for Olympia, Lien took the first pitch he saw and deposited it over the left-center field fence with ease. In his second AB, Lien put down a perfect drag bunt down the third base line for a base hit. I (and several scouts in the area) had Lien at a 3.67 home to first. Pretty impressive for a kid of Lien’s size. In his final AB, Lien lined a single to right field, finishing 3-3 with 3 runs scored. Lien is a bit raw, and hits from spread stance and has a slight hitch in his trigger. His combination of tools however will pique the interest of the scouting community. Lien is a QB/WR for Olympia’s football team and one can only imagine how much better he would be at baseball if he were to concentrate 100% of his efforts on the game. He is an early verbal to UCF.