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
(C) 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