With 35 hours of on-field action over a three-day period at Perfect Game’s National Showcase, staged June 13-15 at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, there was an incredible amount of baseball to watch and absorb as we got our first close-up look at the top prospects in the high school Class of 2009.
In all, we got an opportunity to see almost 250 players. Here’s an attempt to boil down all that baseball into a few highlights.
Catchers Stand Out
Without question, the position that was deepest in quality prospects was catcher. This will present the scouting community with a quandary next June as it is well established that many scouting directors would rather not deal with the relatively high-risk/long development curve associated with young catchers near the top of the draft. But in a 2009 draft class that may be lacking in overall position talent, that might very well be what they have to do.
In fact, it’s very possible that if you were to ask a half dozen scouts who their favorite catcher is in the 2009 class, you might get that many different answers.
My personal favorite was Austin Maddox (Jacksonville, Fla.), whose arm strength and receiving ability is phenomenal for a 17-year-old. Maddox stole the show with an all-time Perfect Game record 90-mph gunned time during drills and a best pop-time of 1.75 seconds. He also had an incredible game tag throw to catch a fast runner at second base.
Luke Bailey (LaGrange, Ga.), a veteran of international play with USA Baseball’s junior/youth national teams, showed big power and outstanding defensive tools. He had the fastest pop time during drills at 1.73 seconds.
Two Northern California catchers had 1.76 pop times and were impressive in game action. Andrew Susac (Roseville, Calif.) probably raised his stock as much as any catcher at the event and is extremely polished on defense. Max Stassi (Yuba City, Calif.) has a long resume as a top hitter and is very athletic.
Michael Zunino (Cape Coral, Fla.) has a long track record as a catching prospect and would be a top prospect at third base, as well. Jonathan Walsh (Coppell, Texas) is a tools monster, with 6.5-second speed on a linebacker’s 6-foot-3, 215-pound frame. Other catchers like Tucker Barnhart (Brownsburg, Ind.), Cameron Garfield (Murrieta, Calif.) and Dane Phillips (Nacogdoches, Texas) undoubtedly have their high-round supporters as well.
In this year’s draft, we had the greatest quality among first-base prospects in draft history. It’s possible that we’ll see the same emphasis with high school catchers a year from now—possibly even approaching the 1970 draft that featured six high school catchers in the first round, including three of the first four selections (future big leaguers Mike Ivie, Barry Foote and Darrell Porter).
Pitchers to Fit Every Description
Variety is the key word to describe the pitching prospects in Minneapolis.
The two top pure pitching prospects were lefthanders Matthew Purke (Spring, Texas) and Tyler Matzek (Mission Viejo, Calif.). Both are 6-foot-3, with Matzek being stronger and more mature, and Purke having a looser arm and more projectability. Both lefthanders topped out at 94 mph and threw sharp sliders.
Two two-way players, shortstop/righthander Mychal Givens (Tampa) and third baseman/righthander Brooks Pounders (Temecula, Calif.), might have been just as impressive, though, continuing a theme from the 2008 draft that saw numerous dual player/pitcher prospects (Aaron Hicks, Ethan Martin, Casey Kelly) selected in the first round with no clear certainty about what position they will eventually play.
Givens recorded the highest velocity at the showcase, notching a couple of fastballs at 95 mph and plenty more at 94, all with serious life. It wasn’t just all raw arm strength, though, as Givens had a very smooth, balanced delivery, plus a quality curveball and changeup from a low arm angle.
The 6-foot-5, 225-pound Pounders was a bit more of a surprise than Givens. He struck out the side in his one inning of work, topping out at 94 mph and showing a quality slider and devastating split-finger changeup. Pounders could be the Ethan Martin of the 2009 high school class, a well-regarded corner infielder who scouts think more highly of on the mound.
Two other players that are highly-regarded as position prospects, Maddox and shortstop Michael Heller (Bradenton, Fla.) also both topped out at 94 mph. Heller was one of the final pitchers at this event and threw 92-94 with a very good curveball.
Tall righthanded pitchers were also a very noticeable sub-group among the top prospects in attendance. Six-foot-8, 215-pound Chad Thompson (Trabuco Canyon, Calif.) was the most impressive of the oversized righties, touching 94 mph. Equally impressive was his smooth, easy delivery and darting split-finger. Six-foot-7, 235-pound Chris Jenkins (Westfield, N.J.) probably has more arm strength and velocity-projection than any pitcher in the 2009 high school class but struggled with his delivery and command. He touched 94 mph as well.
Six-foot-7 Kyle Hansen (Glen Cove, N.Y.), brother of Red Sox righthander and former first-rounder Craig Hanson, 6-foot-8 Tim Brechbuehler (Gillette, N.J.) and 6-foot-6 James Needy (Santee, Calif.) were also particularly impressive, all in the low 90s.
A totally subjective viewpoint on some various “Bests” among the pitchers in attendance:
Fastball: Jacob Turner, rhp, St. Charles, Mo.
Delivery: Givens.
Projectability: Purke.
Curveball: Slade Heathcott, lhp, Texarkana, Texas.
Slider: Matzek.
Changeup: Forrest Garrett, lhp, Norcross, Ga.
Pitchability (LHP): Ian Krol, Naperville, Ill.
Pitchability (RHP): Hudson Randell, Atlanta, Ga.
A Family Affair
Every gathering of nearly 250 top baseball players will have an ample collection of close relatives in the game and the 2009 National Showcase was no exception.
Robert Amaro, 1b, Bensalem, Pa.: Uncle Ruben Amaro Jr., is an assistant GM of the Phillies; his great uncle Ruben Sr. was an 11-year major league veteran and one of the great Latin American scouts.
Luke Bard, rhp, Charlotte, N.C.: Brother of 2006 Red Sox first-round pick Daniel Bard.
James Dykstra, of, San Diego: Brother of Allan Dykstra, Padres first-round pick this year (23rd overall).
Kyle Hansen, rhp, Glen Cove, N.Y: Brother of Red Sox righthander Craig Hansen.
Kristopher Hobson, lhp-1b, Bakersfield, Calif.: Son of former major league third baseman Butch Hobson.
Chad James, lhp, Yukon, Okla.: Brother of Reds’ Double-A righthander Justin James.
Cade Kreuter, ss, Newhall, Calif.: Son of former major league catcher and current USC head coach Chad Kreuter.
Mike Lubanski, c, Collegeville, Pa.: Brother of Chris Lubanski, the Royals first-round pick in 2003.
Deven Marrero, ss, Davie, Fla.: Cousin Chris Marrero was the Nationals’ first-round pick in 2006.
Cody Martin, 3b, Toccoa, Ga.: Brother of Dodgers first-round pick Ethan Martin (15th overall).
Max Matra, 3b-of, Coconut Creek, Fla.: Brother Daniel is a catcher in the Braves organization.
Christopher O’Dowd, c, Cherry Hills Village, Colo.: Son of Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd.
Raul Rivera, rhp, San Juan, P.R.: Brother of Nationals righthander Saul Rivera.
Ruben Sierra Jr., of, Isla Verde, P.R.: Son of former major league outfielder Ruben Sierra.
Michael Zunino, c, Cape Coral, Fla.: Father Greg is a long-time area scout in Florida with the Reds.
Other more distant relatives that players listed in their Perfect Game bio sheets included baseball players C.C. Sabathia, Fred McGriff, Dennis Eckersley, Rey Ordonez, Zach Duke, Dickie Thon, John Shelby and Lew Burdette; baseball executive Josh Byrnes; former NFL players Ted Hendricks, Brett Favre and Warren Sapp; golfer Sam Snead; and astronaut Neil Armstrong.
Two Sport Athletes
No draft ever goes by without some intrigue as to whether a top prospect will dedicate himself to baseball only or continue to play a second sport, usually football. The most obvious player in this year’s draft was Red Sox first-round pick Casey Kelly (Sarasota, Fla.), who not only was a top quarterback recruit for Tennessee but a two-way prospect as both a righthander and shortstop.
The most talented two-way player in the 2009 class is undoubtedly Donovan Tate (Cartersville, Ga.), also the top outfield prospect. He has 6.34-second speed in the 60, a 95-mph outfield arm and serious juice in his bat. He’s also been contacted by virtually every major college football program in the country as a 6-foot-3, 200-pound safety, although he’s also excelled at quarterback and wide receiver in high school.
Complicating matters is that Tate’s father, Lars Tate, was a second-round pick in the 1988 NFL draft out of the University of Georgia as a running back and played in the NFL for three years before injuries shortened his career.
Numerous media reports out of Georgia say Tate’s high school coach indicates that Tate will sign a football letter-of-intent next February, not a baseball letter, but will keep things open for the baseball draft or consider playing both sports in college.
Among the other top two-sport athletes who were in attendance at the PG National Showcase were outfielder/wide receiver Braxton Lane (Tyrone, Ga.), outfielder/wide receiver Kyrell Hudson (Vancouver, Wash.), outfielder/quarterback Jacob Morris (Coppell, Texas), outfielder/running back Matthew Moynihan (San Diego), outfielder/quarterback Ryan Mossakowski (Frisco, Texas) and lefthander/wide receiver Matt Nadolski (Petaluma, Calif.).
Rawlings Home Run Challenge
There was a new twist to the National Showcase schedule this year with the addition of the Rawlings Home Run Challenge. As part of the Challenge, Rawlings provided a high-tech radar unit that measured the distance of all the home runs. Rawlings also provided its latest high-tech metal bats for the players to use.
Each of the 11 teams had a qualifying round at nearby Concordia University to determine a representative in the semifinals. That was held at the Metrodome on Saturday night, right after the 60-yard dash. The semifinalists included:
Black: Jonathan Singleton, 1b, Lakewood, Calif.Columbia Blue: Anthony Maldonado, inf, River Forest, Ill.
Gold: Jacob Morris, of, Coppell, Texas.
Green: Patrick Scoggin, rhp, Richmond, Va.
Grey: Brooks Pounders, 3b-rhp, Temecula, Calif.
Maroon: Miles Head, 3b, Brooks, Ga.
Navy: Dane Phillips, c, Nacogdoches, Texas.
Orange: Kamm Washington, of, Boynton Beach, Fla.
Red: Christian Walker, 3b, Limerick, Pa.
Royal: Patrick Savage, 1b, Suwanee, Ga.
White: Scooter Gennett, ss, Sarasota, Fla.
The major league dimensions of the Metrodome more than compensated for the charged-up metal bats as the semi-final round featured far more warning track fly balls than home runs. Singleton, Walker and Washington advanced to the finals, although Gennett, the smallest player in the group, narrowly missed after hitting about five balls just foul down the right-field line.
The final was no contest. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound lefthanded-hitting Singleton launched six home runs, most of them into the upper deck in right field. All measured between 441 and 467 feet. Walker, who led the semi-final group with four home runs and the team-qualifying with eight long balls, hit four in the finals, measuring between 400 and 430 feet. The 5-foot-11 Washington, who launched a 462-foot bomb during the semi-finals, wasn’t able to lift the ball during the finals and was shut out.
The big-league dimensions at the Metrodome limited the in-game home runs as well. Three righthanded hitters pulled balls into the left-field bleachers; by infielder Anthony Maldonado, catcher Luke Bailey (LaGrange, Ga.) and outfielder Connor Harrell (Houston).
Righthander/shortstop Mychal Givens (Tampa) easily legged out an inside-the-park home run when the center fielder missed on an attempt at a diving catch and the ball rolled to the 408-foot sign in center field. Singleton probably had the most impressive game blast, a line drive to near straight-away center field that bounced over the wall for a ground-rule double.
In a sign of high respect to Singleton’s strength and power, the Columbia Blue infielders put on a David Ortiz/Barry Bonds shift for him during Singleton’s second game. In true Ortiz fashion, Singleton grounded two hard singles through the heart of the shift anyway.
All Attention on the 60
The 60-yard dash took on rock-star status with the players as it was held on Saturday night with all the players present. At a normal regional showcase, the 60 is the first drill and players are hurrying away immediately after they run to prepare themselves for defensive drills. At previous National Showcases, the 60 was often held at an alternative site.
Not so this year. Players lined up 4-5 deep near the finish line to root on runners, and Oh! and Ah! Were common reactions at the fastest times. They weren’t disappointed either.
After everyone had run once, the fastest runners ran again, often pairing up in friendly grudge matches. Donovan Tate (Cartersville, Ga.) and Braxton Lane (Tyrone, Ga.), rivals on the Georgia football fields as well as the baseball field, paired up twice, with Lane (6.26) narrowly beating Tate (6.34) both times.
Outfielder/shortstop LeVon Washington (Gainesville, Fla.) posted the fastest time at 6.21. Washington also ran 4.00/4.00/4.03 on three ground balls during games from the left side and appeared to be pulling up on all three, so his speed translates very well onto the field.
Georgia outfielders again dominated the top times, just as they did in 2007 when Xavier Avery and Jay Austin, both early-second round picks in this year’s draft, posted the two fastest times. Outfielders posted the top nine fastest times overall.
The 10 fastest 60 times:
6.21—Washington.
6.22—Alex Glenn, of, McDonough, Ga.6.26—Lane.
6.34—Tate.
6.36—Jacob Morris, of, Coppell, Texas.
6.38—Kamm Washington, of, Boynton Beach, Fla.
6.38—Ruben Sierra Jr., of, Isla Verde, P.R.
6.43—Charlie Markson, of, Whitefish Bay, Wis.
6.44—Ronnie Richardson, of, Eagle Lake, Fla.
6.45—Jamadrick McGruder, inf, Mesquite, Texas.