Groomed for greatness (Jason Groome feature)
EC
Astro all-in at PG National
FORT
MYERS, Fla. – Any young prospect who has earned his stripes playing
summer- and fall-ball with East Cobb Baseball – or more
specifically with the East Cobb Astros – knows all the ins-and-outs
of playing on some of amateur baseball’s biggest stages.
There
are always opportunities for the Astros’ top prospects to play in
Perfect Game World Wood Bat Association (WWBA) tournaments that for
more than a decade were played at the East Cobb Baseball Complex in
Marietta, Ga. They travel to Jupiter, Fla., to play in the PG WWBA
World Championship, to Fort Myers to play in the PG BCS Finals and to
Phoenix to play in the ultra-exclusive 17u PG World Series.
These
top prospects are also invited to all of Perfect Game’s showcases,
including the most prestigious upper class event in all of amateur
baseball, the Perfect Game National Showcase. The PG National is
completing its 15th annual run this weekend at JetBlue
Park and for most East Cobb Baseball players, this is not only their
first rodeo but they’re largely the king of the cowboys.
Which
made it all the more interesting when top ECB left-hander Braxton
Garrett, a Vanderbilt commit from Florence, Ala., let it be known
exactly how he was feeling before he went out and got in his two
innings of work at the PG National Saturday afternoon.
“Nothing
is really different, pitching-wise, but I can’t lie, I am a little
nervous facing all these really talented guys. … I’ll just go out
and do my best and just try to get outs,” Garrett said before he
took his turn in an impressive pitching rotation Saturday. “I’m
sure the nerves will go away once I get up on the mound because,
really, the mound is where I’m most peaceful.”
Garrett
is ranked the No. 10 overall prospect in the class of 2016 and the
No. 4 left-handed pitching prospect, which is certainly noteworthy in
this instance. The three lefties ranked ahead of him – Jason Groome
from Barengat, N.J., Jeff Belge from Syracuse, N.Y., and Cole Ragans
from Crawfordville, Fla. – had all taken their turns pitching in
front of the hundreds of scouts in attendance before Garrett got his
time in the spotlight.
“It’s
not the scouts that are making me nervous, it’s being around these
players; I’ve never met any of them,” Garrett said. “I’m a
very social guy, but I’ve never met any of these guys, it’s my
first showcase and it’s a little bit nerve-racking, but (the
nerves) will go away real fast.”
Garrett
was remarkably consistent in each of his six PG tournament
appearances with the EC Astros in 2014, delivering a fastball that
topped out at 89-91 mph in all six. He was right there again
Saturday, working comfortably at 88-90 while showing an effective
curveball that he threw for strikes at 80 mph.
His
outing was mostly up to par with the other left-handers in attendance
although he didn’t blow up the radar guns like some of the others.
And despite his feelings of nervousness that came with being
surrounded by potential greatness, he soon discovered that experience
was what he was enjoying the most.
“Being
able to interact with baseball guys with a lot of talent is a lot of
fun because you might be playing with them in the future – or
playing against them,” Garrett said. “I know every class thinks
(its) the best class that’s ever going to come through, and I know
(the other left-handers) think the same way that I do. I know that
we’ll take pride in being the best class.”
Garrett
spent the last two summers and falls playing with the Astros and
plans on being with them the rest of this summer and into the fall,
as well. He has been especially salty for the team, earning
all-tournament recognition at the last seven PG tournaments he’s
pitched at, including both the 2014 17u and 18u PG WWBA National
Championships, the 2014 17u PG BCS Finals, the 2014 PG WWBA
Underclass World Championship and the PG WWBA World Championship.
“Playing
with East Cobb has been the most beneficial experience of my life,”
he said. “East Cobb is what helped me get exposure at first and
then as I got my first little bit of exposure my talent level rose.
I’ve learned a lot playing with them and we have an excellent
relationship; it’s been a blessing to play with East Cobb.”
Garrett
might be a little bit of anomaly in that he is from Alabama but he’s
not into hunting or fishing or (gasp!) not even football all that
much. His dad, Steve Garrett, is a former baseball player at Troy
University in Troy, Ala., and also serves as Braxton’s coach at
Florence High School; Braxton describes himself as a “born and
bred” baseball player.”
The
Florence Falcons stumbled to a14-22 record this spring despite a
Herculean effort from Garrett. His final numbers were video-game
crazy: He finished 7-1 – accounting for half of his team’s wins –
with a 0.74 ERA, allowing only 17 hits while striking out 141 and
walking 11 in 66 2/3 innings. That’s an average of just more than
two strikeouts per inning against competition in Alabama’s Class
6A, the classification for the state’s second largest group of
schools.
“We
had a defense that struggled a little bit so sometimes I had to (go
for the strikeout),” Garrett said. “Sometimes,” he added in the
understatement of the year, “I just ended up with a lot of
strikeouts.”
Between
the relationship he has with his high school coach (re: his father)
and the coaching staff at East Cobb Baseball, Garrett has received
some excellence instruction and guidance throughout his career to
date.
“From
when I was born until now, my dad has mentored me,” Garrett said.
“Baseball-wise, mostly when I was younger and now that I’ve
advanced, he’s kind of been there just to make sure I do all the
right things; he’s helped me mature.”
Garrett
also singled out East Cobb Baseball owner and EC Astros head coach
Guerry Baldwin for his contributions to Garrett’s development. “He
would do anything for me and I know that for a fact, and I really
appreciate that,” Garrett said.
As
a Vanderbilt commit, Garrett has followed the Commodores progression
to the championship series at the College World Series, and event
they won a year ago to capture the national championship. He
professes his outright love for head coach Tim Corbin, pitching coach
Scott Brown and assistant coach Travis Jewett and is pulling for
Vandy every time it takes the field in Omaha.
“Tim
Corbin, I believe, is the best college baseball coach out there and I
knew that before I went in there,” Garrett said. “I got to meet
Coach Brown, and I absolutely loved Coach Brown right off the bat. An
education is something that I know I need and a Vanderbilt education
is something that is really special, along with the baseball
program.”
Garrett’s
time at the PG National Showcase has come and went, and even as he
embarks on another full summer and fall of play with East Cobb
Baseball, he knows there is plenty of work to be done. He talks of
working to make his changeup more effective go-to pitch and will only be satisfied as long as
he feels he is improving a little every time he takes the mound.
Just
don’t ask this East Cobb Astro – a seasoned veteran who has
played on some of the biggest stages but still admits to a case of
the nerves from time-to-time – about the 2016 MLB June Amateur
Draft.
“I
don’t even think about the draft,” Garrett said. “The
opportunity at Vanderbilt is something that is just so exciting to me
and I look forward to that every single day.”
– Jeff
Dahn
Schedule
Note
Lightning continued to
cause delays on Saturday and forced the final round of batting
practice for the Steel, Texas Orange, Vegas Gold and White teams to
be moved to Sunday. It also cancelled the remainder of the fourth and final game of the day, Game 12 overall between the Navy and Royal teams. To view the updated schedule please visit this link.
Live
Streaming
For
the fourth consecutive year the Perfect Game National Showcase is
available for everyone to watch online. The live stream to all of the
workouts, batting practice sessions and games can be accessed in real
time here (archives of the events will be added at a later point in
time):
https://iframe.dacast.com/b/53363/c/70773
The
third game played on Saturday between the Green and Red teams will be
aired on MLB.com at 8:00 p.m. ET on Sunday evening, and we will
provide a link on the Perfect Game homepage once it becomes
available. Be sure to tune in to watch some big names from the 2016
class as well as some big plays, including this spectacular diving
catch by outfielder Jarron Silva:
MLB
Advanced Media / Perfect Game
(C)
2015 All Rights Reserved
PG
National Scout Blogs
Read
even more about the game-by-game highlights and the workout results
from the 2015 Perfect Game National Showcase scout blogs:
https://www.perfectgame.org/blogs/View.aspx?blog=534
National
Impressions
• Jason
Groome has been viewed as one of the top arms in the 2016 class and
he reaffirmed that notion. Currently ranked No.4 in the class and
committed to Vanderbilt, the New Jersey native came out sitting in
the 92-95 mph range with his fastball on Saturday and did so making
it look as though he’s playing catch. With perhaps the easiest arm
action in the 2016 class, Groome came out pounding the ball downhill
in the strike zone with nice jumping life on his fastball. His
curveball has continued to develop showing sharp life in the
upper-70s and he also flashed a nice changeup at 79 mph.
• Jeff
Belge is another high-end arm out of the Northeast who will have the
scouts running around this spring. Facing off against Groome for the
first two innings of the second game, the strong 6-foot-4, 245-pound
lefthander showed an easy arm action that produced a fastball up to
92 mph and is easy to project more velocity on its way. Able to pound
his fastball inside on righthanded hitters, Belge commanded the zone
well and showed a nice feel for a breaking ball in the 75-77 mph
range with 1-to-7 shape and depth.
• Avery
Tuck, a San Diego State commit, announced his presence during batting
practice and he hasn’t stopped hitting against live pitching as he
again drove a pitch to the opposite field, banging a loud double off
of the Green Monster. After running a 6.88 60-yard dash and topping
at 93 mph from the outfield, Tuck added another two base hits in the
second game of the day, giving him three hits on the day.
• Heading
into the Perfect Game National Showcase as the No. 137th ranked player in the 2015 class, Joe Rizzo has done nothing but get
the barrel to the ball during his live at-bats, regardless of where
it’s pitched. With a strong and broad build, the South Carolina
commit has an advanced feel for hitting with the ability to go to all
fields. After hitting the ball hard yesterday, Rizzo picked up
another two base hits this afternoon, one through the pull side and
another up the middle.
• The
second Vanderbilt commit from the Northeast to take the mound
Saturday afternoon was righthander Ian Anderson who showed a high
level of pitchability, mixing three pitches very consistently.
Working steadily in the 91-93 mph range with a loose and easy arm
action, Anderson’s fastball showed solid running life to his arm
side while commanding both sides. While his fastball is a present
above average pitch, Anderson also has an advanced feel for a solid
curveball and a late fading changeup.
• It’s safe to say that Georgia native and Florida State commit Joshua Lowe is full of athleticism and can excel in several facets of the game. Though a primary pitcher, Lowe made noise throughout the first two days of the showcase with his defensive actions, 6.57 60-yard dash, and impressive arm strength that generated a 95 mph throws across the infield. On Saturday afternoon the 6-foot-4 Lowe jumped on the mound and certainly didn’t disappoint. Showing a smooth and easy arm action Lowe used his length well to generate severe downhill plane on his fastball that sat 93-94 mph in his first inning on the mound. Along with his fastball Lowe featured a late breaking slider and a changeup that also featured late life, giving him three pitches that have the ability to miss bats.
• A
primary shortstop, South Carolina commit Grant Bodison may have made
the defensive play of the showcase while at second base as he ranged
back to his right on a soft flare and finished the play with a diving
catch while still going backwards.
MLB
Advanced Media / Perfect Game
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2015 All Rights Reserved
• After
taking an impressive round of batting practice, University of
Arkansas commit Ben Rortvedt continued to swing a loud lefthanded bat
as he jumped on an inner half fastball, clearing the right field
fence for a solo home run.
– Jheremy
Brown