LATEST PG SHOWCASE REPORT
2004 Spring Top Prospect Showcase
LHP-1B-OF Kris Ruepke: Ruepke is a junior lefthander with some interesting arm strength. You can really see his arm strength when he’s playing the outfield. Ruepke’s throws have very good on-line carry and you could grade him out very close to average on the Major League scale. He played first base in the fielding drills at the Showcase, so we didn’t get an outfield gun reading for him. Some mechanical issues on the mound that aren’t apparent when he throws in the field kept his velocity down during Spring League play in the 77-79 mph range Ruepke has a full arm wrap in back which never lets his arm get in sync with his body. His curveball was even more effected by his wrap and he never gets over top of it, leaving it with loose spin at 61-64 mph. We saw a different pitcher at the Showcase, though. Ruepke’s arm was still long both in back and in front but there was less wrap to it and more smoothness. The result was a fastball that regularly clocked in at 82-83 with some life to it and an improved curveball at 67 mph. We’re going to keep on eye on this young southpaw for more signs of improvement because the raw physical tools are there.